Friction driving mechanism for motor-vehicles.



"B. G. OWEN.

FRICTION DRIVING MECHANISM FOR MOTOR VEHICLES. APPLICATION FILED APB-19,1911.

1,005,291. f Patented 0011111911. Q 7 2-snnn'rs-snnn1' 1.

152717777 6. flaw/r B. G. OWEN. FRICTION DRIVING MECHANISM FOR MOTOR VEHICLES.

APPLIUATION FILBDIPB. 29, 1911.

Patented Oct. 10, 1911.

- 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

'weam Ed/r/n & 0/2 02 transmitted by means of friction rollers which are in contact with the peripheries ofcitizen" oft-he United States,

UNITED STATES PATENT omen.

EDWIN G. OWEN; OF'WYSOX, PENNSYLVANIA.

FRICTION DRIVING ran-canines: son moroavnnrcnns.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented @ct. 10 ,1911.

Application filed April 29, 1911. I Serial Etc. 62431751.

motor vehicles, and has for its object to pro. vide an improved friction drivlng mechanism, the motion of the engine shaft being the drive wheels of the Vehicle.

Theinvention also has for its object to. p-rovidemeans for controlling the friction, v rollers so that turns'may be neadily made, and, furthermore, to so support the rollers,

that they stay ;in operative position when rough roads} 1 flu; Orderthatthe-invention may be bettor-understood, reference is had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which drawings- Figure 1 is a plan view of the gear ng. Fig. 2 is a side elevation. Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line 33 of Fig. 2.-

Fig. 4 is an enlarged elevation of the roller supports, partly in section.

Ref fring specifically to the drawings, 5 denotes-oneof the axles of a motor vehicle, and the-wheels of said vehicle are'indicated at'6, they being shown in dotted lines; The axle 5 carries the supporting frame of friction rollers 7 As shown in the drawings, three friction'rollers are provided for each wheeli l The supporting. frame of the friction rollers comprisesla transverse tubular bar 8 located infront of and extending parallel to the axle 5, and arms 9, said; arms con necting the bar to the axleand being secured to the latter by clips or other suitable fastening means 10. The connection between, the-arms and the bar is made by means'of coupling's'll. 'The' frame. also includes arms 12 which are secured to' the ends of the bar 8 by elbows 13, said arms extending earwardly and being connected at their rear ends by elbows and T-couplings,

as shown ii Fig. 1, to adjacent ones of the arms 9. To the axle 5 is also secured, by means of clips 14, a longitudinal bar 15 which extends forwardly from said ax e an the-'wheels-are'jarred upon passing overis connected at its front end to the engine support or any other suitable portion of the vehicle frame (notshown). The bar-'8 lS' also connected to this. longitudinal bar by.

means of clips 16. The frame herein desgribed is also provided with torsion rods 17 hich are clipped to the axle and the bar 8.

The. arms 9 carry bearings 18 in which is'journaled ashaft 19 extending parallel to the axle 5, and on which shaft is made fast a sprocket wheel 20 which is connected by means ofa chain 21 to a sprocket wheel 2 on a shaft drivensby the engine (not;' shown). f On the ends of the shaft 19 are also made fast sprocket wheels 24;. ,1

Each arm 12,. and the arm 9 adjacent thereto, also carries a bearing 25 in which is supported a short shaft 26whi-ch serves as the pivot of a vertically swingingrocken 27. The shaft the shaft 19. The rocker has three tubular arms 28extending radially, and receiving the inner end of a rod 29-, to

,of which rod is secured a bearing 30carry- 26 is'inaxial aiinement with the outer end Ting the shaft 31 of one of the friction rollers Q7, .The bearing 30 has an arm 32 whereby fit is connected to the arm, 29, said parts be- ;ing slotted as shown' at 33, through which -'slots, pass bolt-s34. The, slotsprovide an adjustable connection between the rodf29 and thearm-32. On the shaft 31 also fmade fast -a sprocket wheel 35. .,The- 'arms 28 are cast in two-pieces which arefastend together by means of bolts 36 I passing through ears 37 on the two parts of the -armsat their outer ends. through the parts near their inner ends. Asalready described, at. their inner ends'into the arnis 28, and within .each' of said arms is located a coiled springi39 one end of which is connected to Bolts 38 also pass i the rods 29 extend I thegbo lt .38, and the other end to the inner v end of the rod 29. The bore of the arm also has'bearing portions 40 through which'the The purpose rod passes with a sliding fit.

of the springs 39 is to hold the rollers 7 in yielding contact with the periphery ,of the wheels. 6, a support as herein ing pro'ivided for each roller, 7

The friction rollers of the respective wheels are driven on the drive shaft, 19, the several'sprocket plane.

described beby a chain 41 passing over thews procket wheels 35 on the shafts of said rollers, and also over the sprocket wheels 24 wheels being located-in same vertical The arms 32 of each set-of rollers are con- 7 an arcuate bar 42 to which is connected by nected one end of a rod 43, the other end of l 7 to be in enga which is connected to one of the branches of a bell-crank lever '44, to the other branch of which is connected-an operating rod 45. The bell-crank lever is supported b a bracket 46 carried by the bar 8. The riction rollers are swung into and out of engagement with the wheels 6 upon operating the rod 45.,said rod, through the connections .herein described, swinging the su porting cries of the wheels 6, the latter are driven.-

If a turn is to ice made, one set of rollers will be disengaged from the correspondin Wheel, it being nderstood that each whee runsfreely on t e axle 5. The springs 39 secure a constant steady pressure of the rollers on the peripheries of the wheels, and also permit said rollers to yield in order to follow the wheels as they are jarred up and down upon passing over roiggh roads.

The preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown, but it is to be understood that various changes in the structural details maybe resorted to without a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention.

The mechanism herein described is to be used in'connection with the spring wheel disclosed in my application for patent Serial No. 615,888, filed March 21, 1911, and it is intended, primarily, for motor vehicles,

the driving wheels of which run freely on a fixed axle. The mechanismsaves power; as the latter is applied directly to the periphcry or tireof the wheel. There is also a great saving of power in 'turnin v angles and curves, besides saving the tlres and roads-at such points, by the lifting device Ito ,clear the rollers fromthe wheels, thereby f'preventing the sliding of the wheel which I 7 occurs when traction axles are employed. 1

. adapte I claim: p

l. A friction driving mechanismcomprismg a drive wheel, a rocker havlng tubular arms, rods extending at one of their ends into said arms, springs secured to the inner ends of the arms, friction rollers carried by the outer ends of the arms and adapted to engage the periphery of the drive wheel, a drlve-shaft, and agearing between the dr1ve shaft and the rollers.

2. A friction driving mechanism comprising a drive wheel, a vertically swinging rocker, shafts carried by said rocker, sprocket wheels and rollers mounted on the shafts, the rollers being in engagement with the drive wheel, a drive shaft in rocker, a sprocket wheel on the drive shaft anda chain connecting said sprocket whee with the first-mentioned sprocket wheels.

3. A friction driving mechanism comprising 'adrive wheel, a vertically swinging rocker, rollers carried by the rocker and adapted to engage the drive wheel, a drive shaft, a gearing between the drive shaft and the rollers, and means for operating the 'rocker to engage and disengage the friction rollers. a

4;. A friction driving mechanism comprising a drive-wheel, a vertically swin 'ng rocker, arms extendin therefrom, r0 lers yieldingy supported y said. arms and to engage the eriphery of the drive wheel, a drive shaft, and a caring between said drive shaft and the rol era.

5. The combination with the drive Wheels of a motor vehicle, and the axle of said wheels, of a frame mounted on said axle,

bearings carriedby said frame, a drive shaft f supported in said bearings, vertically swingingrockersmounted on the frame, the p votal axes of said rockers being in alinement with the drive shaft, arms extending from the rockers, rollers carried by said arms and adapted to engage the drive wheels, anda gearing between the drive shaft and the rollers.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

. I EDWIN G. OWEN. Witnesses SUSAN A.

. Lorrm WEAVER.

copies of this patent may be obtainedfor five cents each, by addressing the Gommissioner of Patents,

' v Washington, D. 0.

axial alinement with the pivotal axis of the 

